07-06-2015: A new study issued today by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), based in Washington, D.C., describes a visionary, innovative, and revolutionary path forward to answering some of humanity's most compelling unanswered questions such as: Are we alone in the Universe? Are other Earth-like worlds common? Do any have signs of life? How did life emerge from a lifeless cosmic beginning? These questions are considered game-changers in our understanding of our place in the cosmos. AURA's report "From Cosmic Birth to Living Earths: The Future of UVOIR Space Astronomy" describes the scientific and technological case for building a High-Definition Space Telescope (HDST) observatory to view the universe with five times greater sharpness than the Hubble Space Telescope can achieve, and as much as 100 times more sensitivity than Hubble to extraordinarily faint starlight. These powerful capabilities would allow the HDST to look for signs of life on an estimated several dozen Earth-like planets in our stellar neighborhood. It could provide the first observational evidence for life beyond Earth.

The AURA report is being presented during talks today at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. View AURA's report.